At Detroit Sign Factory, we’ve been getting excited about all the building plans hitting this city, like the new Meijer that will be built in the Jefferson Corridor and the RiverFront Conservancy’s plans for the West RiverFront Park (they also recently announced they’ll host a music festival in July 2018). At this point, it’s safe to say that Detroit is experiencing a bit of a “construction boom,” as Curbed Detroit would call it. And in the spirit of building, we’ve decided to tell you about five projects we think you’ll be excited about too.

1. Building Plans for the Shinola Hotel (Fall 2018)

The first project on our list comes from a company that’s well-known by Detroiters. Some know Shinola for the clocks they placed around the city in 2014. Others know them as the company that sells high-end watches, bicycles, and leather goods in Midtown. But anyone exploring Woodward in the coming years will know them as a hotelier too.

This lifestyle brand has already chosen a location on Woodward for their newest venture: between Campus Martius and Comerica Park. And their plans are impressive: eight floors, 130 rooms, and 16,000 sq. ft. of space for retail, food, and bars.

But it’s the headline on the future hotel’s website that explains everything: their goal in all this is to provide every who visits Downtown Detroit with a “thoughtfully-curated hospitality experience.” Sounds pretty good to us.

2. Hudson’s Site (Broke ground 2017)

If you grew up in Detroit or the surrounding suburbs, you might remember the J.L. Hudson flagship store on Woodward Avenue. The site has been vacant for 20 years since the implosion on October 24th, 1998, but now this exciting new project is reactivating Hudson’s footprint in the Library Square. The new building plan will be the tallest in Detroit and will offer retail space, residences, offices, and public space. And we definitely can’t wait to see the views from their Observation Desk. The underground parking lot will even offer an amazing triple-stacked configuration, maximizing the parking in the city center.

On top of all that, we installed the window signs for the Construction Office just today!

3. Motown Museum (Undetermined)

It’s true that the Motown Museum has been around since 1985, keeping the spirit of the music alive in all those who visit it. They recently announced a $50-million, 50,000 sq. ft. expansion. Their goal is to expand their reach to even more people and become known as a world-class destination. Their plans include a new performing arts theater, a recording studio, and new interactive exhibits.

In addition, the release they made to the public is clear in its intent to attract more tourists, and it’s our guess that some of those same out-of-town visitors will be coming from the Shinola Hotel or the hotel proposed on West Jefferson where Joe Louis Arena currently stands.

One of the Shinola clocks, a symbol of of a company with exciting building plans. (Image by Phillip Pessar via Flickr)

4. Tiny Homes in Dexter-Linwood (Now)

Cass Community Social Services has been building “tiny homes” in the Dexter-Linwood Neighborhood just north of Boston-Edison. Last year, they finished construction on their first, and it appears they are in the process of building six more with the intent to erect 25 in total.

Modeled after similar communities across the country (more notably, Austin, according to Curbed Detroit), these small houses are extremely affordable and efficient with their use of space (one can be about 400 sq. ft.). The idea behind the houses in Detroit is to give occupants the opportunity to own a home of their own after only about seven years.

Reverend Faith Fowler, the person behind this wonderful idea, says they even plan to build a tiny home to look like a lighthouse near the Lodge; an appropriate beacon of hope in a city that’s on the rise, both in its collective spirit and in the buildings that will soon dot its skyline.

5. The Pistons Training Facility (Summer of 2019)

A little further ahead on Detroit’s construction timeline is the new training facility for the Pistons. The proposed space in New Center is being designed with the public in mind. They plan to put in shopping and restaurants (much like the Shinola Hotel) and invite the community to come by while the team practices.

Vince Ellis of the Free Press phrases it well:

“The goal is to not just have another fortress walled off from the general public. They are hoping to become part of the community’s fabric.”